Graft raps eyed vs PCSO execs over STL operations

The operator of the “Peryahan ng Bayan” (PNB) in Quezon City is eyeing graft charges against officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) over the reportedly unlawful operations of Small Town Lottery (STL).

Globaltech Mobile Online Corp. said it is planning to file a complaint for violation of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against PCSO general manager Alexader Balutan and other officials of the agency.

Globaltech lawyer Bernard Vitrolo hit Balutan and other PCSO executives for allowing STL operations while cracking down on PNB operations.

“We are considering to file a complaint against them before the Office of the Ombudsman,” Vitrolo told The STAR yesterday.

House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez recently slammed the PCSO for allowing STL operations despite the lack of legislative franchise.

Apart from allowing violations of the law on gaming franchise, Vitrolo also questioned the move of PCSO officials to allow STL because of a profit offer of P15 billion a year.

“The PNB offered P100 billion a year in revenue to the PCSO and yet they chose STL, which offered a much lower income,” Vitrolo said.

The lawyer said such decision of Balutan and the PCSO board was disadvantageous to the government and could be a criminal liability.

Vitrolo cited Section 3 of RA 3019, which penalizes acts of “causing undue injury to any party, including the government, or giving any private party unwarranted benefits, preference in the discharge of his official administrative or judicial functions through manifest partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.”

PNB operators said Globaltech gave the PCSO a better offer compared to STL operators.

They said the firm has an existing machinery for PNB operations and has higher profit offer to the government.

It was learned that STL delivers P200 million in bets per day in Luzon alone.

The operators called on the government to audit the PCSO’s STL collections, saying there could be “corruption there somewhere.”

The PCSO terminated Globaltech’s permit in 2016 due to supposed non-remittance of earnings amounting to P100 million.

Globaltech has denied this, saying its balance to the government was only P35 million.

STL operators, on the other hand, have an outstanding balance of P1 billion to the PCSO in Pangsinan alone.

The firm earlier slammed the PCSO for defying a decision of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which affirmed the legality of its operations.

On Dec. 3, the DOJ dismissed the illegal gambling complaint filed by the PCSO against Globaltech.